But that requires that you have two ringbearers: the eagle and the person who has to walk in.
Since it’s established that Frodo was essentially unique and even he gave in at the end, the odds of two ringbearers resisting the ring is basically nil.
The more powerful the individual, the stronger the lure of the ring. Galadriel resisted only with great effort, Boromir succumbed, Isildur succumbed. Gandalf and Saruman were Maiar, and Gandalf struggled to resist the ring even when he wasn’t carrying it, and Saruman succumbed just by reading about it. The idea that a Maiar in eagle form would be able to resist seems unlikely. the idea that they could resist with all of Sauron’s will focused on them makes no sense.
Both Sauron and the Nazgul are able to focus Sauron’s will on the individual bearing the ring, paralysing them and able to command them. This is seen in the assault Weathertop and at the breaking of the Fellowship. And these abilities get more powerful the closer the ring gets to where it was made, and the closer the ring is to Sauron. The only defense is to hide the ring. As soon as Sauron knows where it is he can cripple the bearer anywhere in Mordor and probably well beyond.
That’s really all the anti aircraft device he needs.
He also had the flying beasts. It’s mentioned that he nurtured them over many years (or centuries, I don’t recall). So he certainly had them before the books started. The book mentions that the Nazgul were sent out incognito a first because Sauron wanted to conceal his plans and the knowledge the the ring was abroad. That is why they were mounted on ordinary horses initially. Once the ring reached Rivendell Sauron knew that The Wise were on to him so he gave the Nazgul free rein, including the terror of revealing themselves. At that point they were re-mounted on flying beasts. But the flying critters already existed, and we don’t know how many there were.
And finally, we know that Gandalf could unleash anti-aircraft magic, as demonstrated at the seige of Minas Tirith. Sauron himself was well out of Gandalf’s league, and the Nazgul and the Mouth of Sauron were also in his league. So there are at least ten probable anti-aircraft devices in Mordor.
What other defences Mordor may have had we don’t know.
The ring is destroyed along with Sauron. Saruman and Denethor will certainly have been talking via the Planatir, and Saruman retains all his powers as Saruman the White, including his powers of persuasion. You can see how Saruman will advise Denethor to spin events to his people.
“The Enemy’s ring has been destroyed because of a plan devised by the Council of Elrond including the wisdom of Boromir.”
(If the plan also involved the diversionary assault in the Black Gate, then all the more claim.)
“Then after the ring is destroyed, Sauron is destroyed, and Gondor is safe, this Aragorn arrives, having done nothing at all to win the victory. He only returned when he didn’t have to risk their lives for the throne, as the Stewards and common folk of Gondor have done for generations.”
“His family has been hiding in the woodland lair of the Sorceress of the Golden wood. Hell, he is engaged to the granddaughter of the sorceress. He is totally in thrall to the elves.”
“Speaking of which, how do we know he is the real heir anyway? Because Elrond says so? Elrond, whose daughter will become queen of Gondor? Hardly reliable. All the Gondorian lawmasters who Aragorn claims will support him have been suspiciously murdered. Except the ones who say that they can prove that Aragorn isn’t the rightful heir. The ones who’s families are being hidden in a secret location by the Steward because of death threats made against them by the pretender’s spies (and not at all being held hostage by the Steward under threat of torture so the lawmaster will say the right thing).”
Saruman then engineers civil war in Rohan, instructing Wormtongue provoke Eomer into open rebellion. The rightful king of Rohan begs Saruman to honor their alliance and send military aid. Saruman obliges. When Aragorn and the royalist Gondorians seek to aid Eomer, Gondor also sends aid to Theoden, and uses the open war as an excuse to crack down on royalists in Gondor.
Eomer and the Rangers are swiftly defeated. Rohan is divided between proxies of Isengard and Gondor, similar to Poland as noted. Aragorn, Eomer and a handful of Dunedain and whatever Elves remain in ME go into hiding and fight a guerrilla war. Denethor begins a brutal crackdown on the insurgents in both Gondor and the Reclaimed Territory of Rohan.
Within a few years almost all the Elves all leave Middle Earth, further weakening Aragorn’s claim to the throne.
After the (highly suspicious) death of Theoden, Saruman offers an olive branch to Aragorn. Saruman explains that he didn’t attack Rohan or want war with Aragorn, he just had a duty to aid his ally, Theoden, when he was begged, and Aragorn had rashly allied himself with the usurper Eomer. Now that Theoden is gone, Saruman is no longer burdened by his vow of assistance and so can make peace with Aragorn and Eomer. Saruman acknowledges Aragorn as the true king of Gondor. He has just discovered incontrovertible evidence of that, and his doubts have been removed.
As a servant of the Valar, Saruman is obliged to put Aragorn on the throne. He will help persuade the the people of Gondor and convince them of the truth of Aragorn’s claim. He will also assist in the regrettable but unavoidable war with the Steward.
“Eomer has been a faithful servant and ally of the true King of Men, and should not be held accountable for what he did to aid his leige lord. Let the rebellion against Theoden be forgiven. King Grima and Queen Eowyn are even willing to acknowledge Eomer as king of Gondorian Rohan, when those lands are wrested from the hands of the usurper Denethor and if that be the will of the true King of Gondor.”
“Will the Kings Aragorn and Eomer not accept the council of the only of the wise not to have abandoned men in Middle Earth? I, Saruman, will pledge my allegiance to the true king of Gondor and his servant the King of Gondorian Rohan I will and offer such advice and aid as I may over the many long years of struggle to come until both be returned to their thrones. If the Kings should seek my guidance once they have their thrones, I will always stand willing ot direct my allies.”
“It is inevitable that we should make alliance. Will the king not ascend into my tower, to discuss deep things in the high chambers of Orthanc.”
The following month Boromir, in pursuit of a raiding party led by Aragorn himself, leads an armed party across the border between Gondorian Rohan and Isengardian Rohan. An Isengarders division happens to be undertaking military manoeuvres in the area and, fearing an attack, slaughter the Gondorians and Boromir is taken prisoner.
Saruman denies any suggestion that he ever gave Denthor permission for such incursions and no sign of a Dunedain raiding party of the size described can be found. Boromir has elected to remain in the care of Saruman at Isengard as a token that the border incursion was truly an error while an investigation is concluded.
The following month, Boromir dies of wounds sustained from the battle with the Isengard soldiers. The returned body shows unusual and suspiciously fresh injuries.
Open war breaks out between Gondor and Isengard. Gondorian Rohan soon falls to Isengard, thanks in large part to a rebellion in favour of King Eomer.
After 20 years of fighting, Aragorn ascends to the throne of Gondor, thanks in large part to the wise advice of the Lord Saruman, who is appointed Chief Loremaster and Vizier to the Kings of Rohan and Gondor.
Saruman’s first task is to resolve the friction with King Dain of the Iron Hills, who is demanding compensation for the deaths of 120 dwarves and their familes. The dwarves were hired by the Denethor to strengthen Helm’s Deep, and were killed in the siege when the Duke of Gondorian Rohan sought refuge at Helm’s Deep.
King Dain is claiming that a dwarven envoy spoke to Saruman, and Saruman promised safe passage out of the seige at midnight on the night of the new moon. This was clearly some ploy of Denethor’s, since Saruman had no knowledge of the Dwarves being there, and they were mistaken for a raiding sortie in the dark and killed by mistake.
Negotiations with the Dwarves will be delicate, and war between Gondor and the Dwarves may be inevitable.
Nice write up. And thanks for not fighting the hypothetical - the question of course wasn’t would/should/could the eagles do it, but what would happen if they did?
Dagorlad Air Traffic Control (ATC): Eagle One, please contact Mordor Approach. You are advised that there may be hostile weather conditions over Ered Lithui.
Eagle One: Thank you Dagorlad. Mordor Approach, this is Eagle One requesting clearance for an emergency landing.
Mordor ATC: Eagle One, you are not shown as permitted to enter our air space. What is the nature of your emergency?
Eagle One: Mordor Approach, we are making an urgent delivery.
Mordor ATC: Eagle One, I repeat you are not shown as permitted to enter our air space. What delivery are you making?
Eagle One: Mordor Approach, that information is classified. However it is no exaggeration to say that the fate of the World depends upon our flight.
Mordor ATC: Eagle One, please maintain a holding pattern over the Black Gate. Wind two one zero degrees, thirty knots. Visibility one kilometre, due to volcanic ash.
Eagle One: Mordor Approach, confirm wind thirty knots and visibility one kilometre. Be advised that we are unable to enter holding pattern due to emergency.
Mordor ATC: Eagle One, you are now classified as a Bandit and we are scrambling to intercept you. There will be no further warning.
Even if the Ring were delivered by eagle, there’s no guarantee it would have ended up in the lava. It would be rather embarrassing if the Ring got stuck in a crevice inside the volcano, all ready to be fished out by a Balrog (who are fire spirits).
Gandalf: "He missed? What do you mean he MISSED?!"
Flunky: “Flying through Mordor isn’t like a walk in the Shire, you know. Maybe some ash and fumes from Mount Doom had their eyes all watering, and stuff, so he missed. As far as we can tell, the ring is just laying there on the side of the volcano, just waiting to be picked up by one of Sauron’s people.”
I guess the upshot of this whole thread is that one does not simply fly into Mordor.
But seriously…I think Saruman’s nature would start to assert itself and he’d get bored with the idea of trying to conquer ME through a host of clever alliances and stratagems.
I don’t feel like a mount counts as a ring bearer. The Fellowship would have spent more time close to him/the ring than the mount, and I feel like Frodo and crew used horses and ponies. You’re just as liable to have an evil pony as an evil bird.
The natures and histories of Saruman and Sauron are very similar. They are both presumably spirits of craft. both desire power. Both are incredibly skilled manipulators of people. Both have had apprenticeships under their dark lord. Both seek to corrupt whatever they can to in order to bring it under their control.
The use of alliances, the swearing of allegiance and the the adoption of the guise of advisor to corrupt the Numenoreans kings was tactic used by Sauron. My outline above was just a way for Saruman to achieve exactly the same trick with Aragorn and his heirs.
Sauron stuck to his stratagem of trying to conquer ME through a host of clever alliances and stratagems for the better part of a century. I can’t see why Saruman would get bored any sooner.
Its made quite clear that being in control of the ring and having the ability top take it is all that is required to corrupt. Deagol, Gandalf, Boromir, Faramir and Galadriel never even touched it and were tempted simply because it was within their power to take it.
An immortal, magical eagle literally holding the bearer in its claws, that definitely counts as having the ability to take it.
Yes, and two of them were tempted, a thousand miles from Mordor, when Sauron wasn’t focusing his will on them.
Horses are animals. They have no desires, no will and and no foresight.
The Eagles are not birds, they are Angels incarnate in bird form, in exactly the same way that Gandalf is an Angel in human form. They have formidable wills, burning desires and immense foresight.
Are you really suggesting that you are just as liable to have an evil pony as an evil angel?
An evil pony WOULD be pretty interesting. “I am BILL, Lord of the Horses. Give me sugar cubes or despair.” He’d make Shadowfax bow before him, and all of the Rohirrim riders have to eat oats.
Because part of Saruman’s schtick (IMHO) is to lord his accomplishments over his peers. IF his peers all go to Elf Heaven…then who is he showing off for? You know what I mean?
“Yayyy I conquered the 3rd grade by pitting Mrs. Donner’s class against Mr. Smiths…weeeeee”
Here’s another question…say The Shire had been guarded. Where would Saruman have gone once it was apparent to him he couldn’t get revenge that way?
He might stir up trouble among the Dwarves of the Blue Mountains. (“They took this great treasure away and destroyed it! What will they do with your treasures?”)
He might get some traction in the Grey Havens, among Cirdan’s people. If he can just manage to get Cirdan’s ear, and work his wicked wiles on the old Elf, he might do some damage. (“Ah! You wish to sail to the West? What will you use for boats?”)
Elrond and the Great Lady were shown immune to Saruman’s voice after the resurrected and promoted Gandalf cast his former superior from the Istari order. Things might have been different before.